“Haven’t you noticed? The Doctor is completely off his trolley. Seriously, the man is barking mad.”

Answering the burning questions posed by DWM readers the man in charge of Doctor Who!

Ask STEVEN MOFFAT

NATHAN STONEROCK asks: By the end of The Return of Doctor Mysterio, it seems the Doctor has made peace with the fact that River Song has died, having spent 24 years saying goodbye on Darillium. Do you feel that River Song’s story is done? And if so, would you have an objection to someone else, say Chris Chibnall, bringing her back after you have left as showrunner?

■ Well, yes, that does seem like the end to me. Except, of course, it isn’t, and can’t be. There’s always the chance that River will show up again, at some other point in her timeline, with a stolen camel, seven more husbands, and a nuclear submarine. Big Finish isn’t done with her, I believe, and any reason to get Alex Kingston back in action is a good one. But for me, I think, I’m done. Back when I thought I might be leaving at the end of 2015, I specifically planned the Darillium scene as my goodbye bringing everything full circle, to the moment (in Forest of the Dead) just before I took over. Which, frankly, was a moment of self-regard that was properly rendered silly by me staying on the show for another series. As to Chris well, entirely up to him. Doctor Who is his from 2018 onwards, and I wouldn’t dream of getting in the way. If Mrs Who makes another appearance, I’ll find out the same way you will from behind the sofa.

About Doctor Who Magazine

Contents include: An interview with actor and Doctor Who fan Rufus Hound; Showrunner Steven Moffat answers readers’ burning questions; a feature by Steve Lyons investigates the weird world of the supernatural in the Doctor Who universe; the feature 'Crack of Doom' finds out more about Big Finish’s audio box set Doom Coalition 4; Toby Hadoke pays tribute to Rodney Bennett, the director who oversaw three very different productions during the early years of Tom Baker’s tenure as the Doctor; the original Master returns for new comic strip adventure 'Doorway to Hell' part two, by Mark Wright, with art by Staz Johnson; 'The Fact of Fiction' examines 1972's 'The Mutants'; The Time Team rewatch the 2011 series opener 'The Impossible Astronaut'; plus Previews, book and audio reviews, news, the Watcher's column, the annual season survey poll, prize-winning competitions and much more!